2018 Thrival Festival. Are We Asking the Right Questions?

Presentations in a botanical garden. Workshops in an actual work shop. Disco in a museum. The 2018 Thrival Festival eschewed tradition and challenged attendees to ponder: Are we asking the right questions when it comes to humanity + technology + art? The annual Thrival Festival held in Pittsburgh PA is truly unique. It combines art, technology, philosophy, music, and yes, even healthcare, into an event that is part science fair and part theatre. Instead of holding the event in a traditional auditorium or hotel, the organizers chose the beautiful Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens as the setting for this year’s event. Rising like a glass armadillo out of lush grass splashed here and there with colorful flowers, the Conservatory welcomed attendees with a warm scent of green leaves and rich earth. It was immediately apparent we were in for something different as we passed through the mammoth glass entryway and wound our way through the maze of monarchs and waterfalls to reach the main session room. With sunshine and mother nature as a backdrop, Thrival kicked off with a keynote from John Battelle @johnbattelle, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of WIRED. Battelle wasted no time in setting the tone for the day. Early in his presentation he put up the following picture from National Geographic with the caption: What makes us human? © Martin Schoeller/National Geographic The image was from National Geographic’s October 125th anniversary issue (2013) where they photographed the ne...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Connected Health Digital Health Healthcare HealthCare IT Healthcare IT Conferences John Battelle Laura Montoya Rasu Shrestha Thrival Source Type: blogs